The present invention relates to the field of methods for copying data stored in disk recording media, and disk recording apparatuses, more particularly to data copying methods for disk recording and reproducing apparatuses using disk recording media in which tracks for recording data are divided into blocks (sectors) of a specified length; and disk recording apparatuses.
The present invention also relates to the field of methods for recording data onto disk recording media, more particularly to methods for recording data onto disk recording media that assure I/O bit rates during recording and playback.
The present invention further relates to the field of methods and apparatuses for editing data in disk recording media, more particularly to methods and apparatuses for editing data in which bit rates and real time processing are assured during AV data editing.
In line with the recent emergence of large-capacity recording media such as magnetic disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, and DVDs (digital video disks), a large volume of data can be recorded and stored on a single recording medium. The need for copying operation frequently occurs to transfer all or a part of data stored in large-capacity recording media onto other recording media. In such copying operation, the following process is required: (1) data is read from a source disk, (2) the read data is transferred to a target disk, and (3) the transferred data is recorded onto the target disk.
When employing conventional data copying methods, however, reading is a time-consuming process due to increased seek time while reading data from the source disk if the data is not consecutive. xe2x80x98Seekingxe2x80x99 is the operation by which data is searched for by moving the optical pickup back and forth in the radial direction over the rotating disk to find data when data are not physically consecutive. Seeking occurs during editing when the length of data to be added or replaced is longer than that of the space left when old data is deleted or replaced, resulting in surplus data being recorded onto empty blocks. Larger number of seek operations leads to extended read time, resulting in lower data transfer rate and longer copying time. In particular, when copying all the data from a large-capacity disk recording medium such as a DVD, it takes considerable time.
The present invention aims to solve the conventional problems described above, and to provide methods for copying data in a disk recording medium and disk recording apparatuses which can reduce the time to copy.
In addition, the number of access blocks in the data regions of the recording medium not fully recorded may increase through editing operations, including transferring data recorded on large-capacity recording media to a different recording medium, copying data from other recording media, and transferring data between different files on the same recording medium, because of edit data of variable length. This results in larger number of seek operations and lower data transfer rate, as the recorded data are not read consecutively. FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrate data transfer, one process that takes place during data editing operations. FIG. 1 shows the copying of data from one data track to another data track. In FIG. 1, source data is recorded on a copy source data track 1, and the source data is incorporated into a copy target data track 2 by copying. Data recorded onto a group of specified access blocks in the copy source data track 1 is cut out (cut-out data 3), and incorporated into a specified region of the copy target data track 2 (target incorporation data region 4). Here, the data length of the cut-out data 3 is expressed as a and the length of data in the target incorporation data region (hereafter referred to as the incorporation region) 4 is expressed as b.
FIG. 2 illustrates data incorporation when the data length of the cut-out data 3 cut from the copy source data track I and the data length of the incorporation region 4 in the copy target data track 2 are the same, i.e.,
a=b.
In this case, since both data lengths are the same, copying is executed without any inconvenience.
FIG. 3 illustrates the case when the data length of the cut out data 3 cut from the copy source data track 1 is shorter than that of the incorporation region 4 in the copy target data track 2, i.e.,
a less than b.
Since the incorporation data region 4 of the target disk is larger, copying takes place as usual and space 5 in the copy target data track 2 stays empty.
FIG. 4 illustrates the case of data incorporation when the length of the cut-out data 3 cut from the copy source data track 1 is longer than that of the incorporation region 4 in the copy target data track 2, i.e.,
a greater than b.
In this case, since the copy target incorporation region 4 is smaller, only partial data 3a, with a data length matching the incorporation region 4, out of the cut-out data 3 is first recorded onto the incorporation region 4 in the copy target data track 2. Then, the remaining partial data 3b of the cut-out data 3 which is not incorporated in the incorporation region 4 is split off and recorded onto a data region 7 in a copy target substitute track 6. The addresses of the incorporation region 4 and data region 7 are held by the data controller. This enables data to be reproduced without a break when a single unit of data is read out.
With the above conventional data recording apparatus for recording data onto a disk recording medium, however, next problems occur. When the length of cut-out data 3 cut from the copy source data track 1 is shorter than the data length of the incorporation region 4 in the copy target data track 2, copying takes place as usual; however, this results in an empty surplus region being left in the copy target data track 2. When the length of the cut-out data 3 is longer than the data length of the incorporation region 4 in the copy target data track 2, the remaining partial data 3b of the cut-out data 3 is recorded onto the data region 7 of the substitute track 6. Since the data controller holds the addresses of the incorporation region 4 and data region 7, split regions increase as a result of repeated data copying. This makes the control between data track 2 and substitute track 6 complicated, and results in a large number of seek operations being needed during data recording and playback, limiting the data transfer bit rate.
The present invention aims to solve the problems described above and to provide methods and apparatuses for copying data onto disk recording media which assure I/O bit rates during data recording and playback.
Also in editing operations such as copying data from a different recording medium, or transferring data between different files in the same recording medium, the number of access blocks not filled with data in the data region of the recording medium increases, since the edited data is variable data. The resulting increased number of seek operations due to the non-consecutive playback similarly reduces the data transfer bit rate. In addition, for AV data, the continuity of data transfer is interrupted, degrading real time processing.
The present invention aims to solve the conventional problems described above and to provide methods and apparatuses for editing data in disk recording media in which bit rates and real time processing are assured during data playback even if edit data is variable data.
A method for copying data onto a disk recording medium in the present invention is designed for disk recording and reproducing apparatuses which employ disk recording media whose data recording area is divided into blocks with a specified length. When copying data recorded on one disk to another disk, the method of the present invention reads data without or suppressing the occurrence of seek in a copy source below a specified value, and transfers it to a target disk, and the data structure of the copy source is maintained by rearranging each file or rewriting file control information at the target disk.
A method for copying data in a disk recording medium in the present invention comprises the steps of reading file control information of files recorded in a copy source disk; reading at least one part of data recorded in data region in the file consecutively, ignoring the file control information; accumulating read data in a memory; reading the file control information of a target copying disk; recording the data accumulated in the memory onto the copy target disk; and recording the file control information on recorded data onto the copy target disk.
The above configuration enables to minimize reading time, and in turn reduce the overall copying time by reading data without executing seek or suppressing the occurrence of seek below a specified value at a copy source.
A disk recording apparatus of the present invention is designed for employing a disk recording medium in which tracks for recording data are divided into blocks with a specified length. The disk recording apparatus of the present invention comprises disk drives for copy source and copy target disk, and a controller for controlling data read and transfer between these disk drives for the copy source disk and target copying disk. The controller controls reading data without causing seek or suppressing the occurrence of seek below a specified value, transferring the data to the target copying disk, and maintaining the data structure of the copy source by rearranging each file or rewriting file control information at the target copying disk. The above control enables to minimize reading time, and in turn reduce the overall copying time by reading data without generating seek or suppressing the occurrence of seek below a specified value at the copy source.
The method for copying data in disk recording media in the present invention divides data area of the disk recording medium into plural consecutive access blocks with a specified length, records data onto each access block, predetermine the access block length for consecutively writing data and the number of access blocks (Kxe2x88x921) on which data is sufficiently recorded, and sufficiently record AV data onto that number of consecutive access blocks.
The disk recording apparatus of the present invention comprises a memory for storing image data, recorder for recording data onto an external recording medium, and a memory controller for editing data stored in the memory and then transferring it to the recorder. The memory controller comprises an edit data accumulator for storing edit data, access block searcher for searching an access block of data stored in the edit data accumulator, editor for recording data by each access block, and edit controller for determining the access block length for consecutively writing data and the number of access blocks (Kxe2x88x921) onto which data is sufficiently recorded in the access blocks and controlling access block search operation and data edit operation. The above configuration enables to suppress the occurrence of seek, and achieves real time processing during data recording and playback.
The data editing method for disk recording media in the present invention divides data area of the disk recording medium into plural consecutive access blocks with a specified block length; and predetermines the access block length for consecutively writing data and the number of access blocks (Kxe2x88x921) which is filled with data. During data editing, the presence of Kxe2x88x921 number of access blocks previously filled with data is confirmed first before starting editing of the source data. If such access blocks exist, data editing starts from that edit start point. If not, data is packed to the end of the access block not filled with data. Then, data editing starts from the edit start point. The above data editing method assures that Kxe2x88x921 access blocks before the edit start point is at least filled with data, securing consecutive playback during reproduction. Accordingly, the bit rate and real time performance are assured.